A new three-year commitment from the Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation will help the Children’s Hospital Foundation continue to support children with cancer in regional areas with crucial in-home care and clinical support.
Thanks to a renewed three-year commitment from the Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation, Children’s Hospital Foundation can continue to support vital in-home care and clinical support to children with cancer in regional areas.
With their ongoing partnership, we can help deliver the Raelene Boyle Outreach Program – a life changing program that has touched the lives of over 1,100 regional and remote children and their families since its inception in 2017.
Named after Australian Olympian and cancer survivor, Raelene Boyle, the program is designed to meet the unique challenges faced by children with cancer and their families, in a country like Australia where geographical location can complicate access to specialised paediatric healthcare.
Through funding a dedicated oncology outreach nurse, the Raelene Boyle Outreach Program eases the emotional and financial strains that regional families face due to frequent and often lengthy travel for treatment.
By providing quality care closer to home, the program reduces the need for travel and enhances the quality of life for young cancer patients – ensuring these children can spend less time in the hospital and more time at home.
Delivering impact from northern New South Wales to the Torres Strait
Last year, from May to December alone, more than 130 kids with cancer from northern New South Wales to the Torres Strait were supported by the program.
For families, it has been nothing short of tide turning.
One child – a one-year-old from Rockhampton – faced the daunting prospect of a weekly 340km round trip for essential medical treatment. With this child’s father working away and two other children to care for, the logistical and emotional strain on the family was immense.
Thanks to the Raelene Boyle Outreach Program, this child’s treatments were transitioned to a local hospital – eliminating the need for the challenging journey from Rockhampton.
This adjustment not only relieved the family of physical and financial stress, but also increased the capabilities of the local hospital to manage paediatric care.
Helping families to focus on their child’s recovery
The success of the Raelene Boyle Outreach Program lies both in its ability to deliver quality care and its holistic approach to supporting families.
By educating and empowering families, the program helps to mitigate the sense of helplessness that can accompany a child’s cancer diagnosis.
Reducing the financial burden associated with frequent travel for treatment, it helps families to focus on the important things – like their child’s recovery.
In a time where over 750 children under the age of 14 are diagnosed with cancer every year in Australia, the need for accessible and compassionate care is more important than ever.
The Raelene Boyle Oncology Program meets this need head-on and ensures that no child’s treatment is compromised by their geographic location.
As the program grows and evolves, its impact resonates.
And with this renewed commitment from the Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation, it will have a life changing impact on the quality of life for the many little lives affected by cancer each year.
The difference that shapes their world
Through supporting the Children’s Hospital Foundation, you can improve childhoods and ensure all children and young people have access to treatment - sooner.
